Aspiring to Inspire Young People in Merchanting  

by Paige Blanchard, Sales Graduate at Howarth Timber
12 March 2019

As a member of the most recent intake of students in its in-house Sales Management programme, Howarth Timber & Building Supplies’ sales graduate Paige Blanchard is keen to encourage other young people into the industry.  

Since joining the merchant industry, my career has gone from strength to strength in a short space of time, with great development opportunities such as the sales graduate course I’m participating in, as well as hands-on learning at the Doncaster branch.  

I’ve experienced challenges such as the vast product range to learn and understand, but I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a number of supportive people as I familiarise myself with the industry. As with any industry though, there’s always room for improvement in terms of how we promote ourselves and the industry to the next generation.  

Sharing experience

It’s really interesting to hear from other young people on the Howarth graduate course as well as in the wider scope of the industry. We share a lot of the same goals and challenges, and it’s always interesting to hear the experiences of the speakers at conferences and trade days, discussing different aspects of the industry and how it has changed over the years. The sector as a whole is still quite slow to adapt to change, and it’s important that we challenge this to make sure we’re always at the cutting edge and able to change with customer needs.  

One of the consistent points of discussion is the lack of young people – particularly women – in the industry, and the need for this to change. It’s a really rewarding industry to work in, so I’m passionate about changing this.  

For me, the opportunities available to train and develop new skills is particularly inspiring – you definitely need a wide skill set to make the most of opportunities and I plan to use my own experience to inspire others.  

Going forward

I feel the key to motivating other young people is all about having the right mindset to drive a business forward – I believe that anyone with this ethos, regardless of age or gender, can have a successful career in this sector.  

As an industry however, more needs to be done to encourage young people with the right mindset, particularly young women, to take up careers in merchanting. I believe there are three key ways we can do this: education, media and visible role models.  

Education

Through education, stereotypes of merchanting and those who work within it can be challenged – if we teach children to challenge old-fashioned stereotypes from a young age, they’re more likely to break the mould as they get older, seeing careers in construction and merchanting as real, viable career options.   Businesses within the merchant industry could also take opportunities to visit schools, colleges and universities to discuss the attractive and varied career opportunities it provides.  

Media

The media, particularly social media, should play a vital role in encouraging young people to join the merchant industry; after all, they absorb it every day.   I don’t feel social media is utilised as much as it should in promoting careers in the industry, and this is something that could easily be changed. By making the merchant industry more visible on social media – the responsibility of both businesses and employees – young people will begin to view it more as an exciting career option.  

Visible role models

The use of various forms of media should be promoting the merchant industry to young people, not just through making it more visible, but specifically by making role models visible. Young people need to see other young people with successful careers within the merchant industry in order to encourage them to pursue a career themselves.

The younger generation don’t see their peers in the sector due to the current underrepresentation, so it’s important to utilise those who do currently work in merchanting through making them visible – whether that’s through social media, television or education.  

As an industry, merchanting is exciting and fast-paced, offering real challenges and real rewards. I look forward to seeing how we can push this forward and encourage more young people to join us. 

For more information on Howarth Timber & Building Supplies, visit www.howarth-timber.co.uk or search for Howarth Timber on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.


This article first appeared in the Spring 2019 edition of BMF's One Voice magazine